Calming the Nervous System

Muscles cannot simply"tighten" all by themselves. They must receive an instruction/impulse from the motor nervous system (e.g., exercise) or the autonomic nervous system (e.g., stress).

Traditional western massage techniques concentrate on the muscles of the body, rather than the nervous systems, and other communication systems, of the body. While massaging "muscles" will affect the sensory nervous system, the circulation systems, and the fascia of the body, this type of focus frequently produces misguided results.

For example, many clients and therapists view "deep tissue" massage as pressing harder on the muscles and tissues. This frequently further aggravates the nervous system and turns a mild discomfort into a more serious, or even chronic, condition.

A focus on the nervous systems of the body targets the root cause of many conditions. Once the body relaxes, it spends more of it's energy reserves on healing itself, rather than trying to protect itself.

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Balancing the Soft Tissues

Current anatomy texts refer to skin as the largest organ of the body. However, predominant physiological thinking ignores the connective tissues, or fascial network, of the body, which represents our "organ of structure".

All tissues in our body grow within the fascia, except for our skin, which surrounds the fascia to provide a protective layer from the elements. Muscles, nerves, organs, bones and blood all develop and circulate within this network of connective tissue. This fascia surrounds the muscles and bones, both separating and connective them.

One type of fascia, tendons, merge into and become the coverings for our skeletal system, thus connecting muscle to bone. This same tendonous fascia separates and lubricates our muscles so that they may move smoothly across one another.

Except for skin and hair, all of the cells of our body live within the connected fascial matrix. As a result, it also represents our "supply lines" for getting air, water, and other forms of energy to our cells.

Nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels all run within dense areas of connective tissue. These dense areas of fascia represent "seams" that run throughout our body, like pathways or, more appropriately, slow-moving rivers.

When something in our body constricts these pathways, our "supply lines" shut down. This causes poor circulation and nerve irritation, thus making it more difficult for our body to heal itself.

Many forms of oriental medicine refer to these seams as "meridians". For thousands of years, oriental practitioners have effectively treated all types of conditions using these pathways. Most countries of the world still treat conditions using these meridians in massage, acupressure, acupuncture, and other forms of therapies.

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